Sen. Daniel McCay, R-Riverton, sponsor of SB31, poses with the brand new Utah state flag on the Capitol in Salt Lake Metropolis on March 2. State officers stated Thursday that an try and ship the invoice to a referendum didn't get sufficient signatures to maneuver ahead. Kristin Murphy, Deseret Information
A invoice that creates a brand new Utah state flag will not go to a future election.
The Utah Lieutenant Governor's Workplace confirmed to KSL.com on Thursday that a referendum measure on SB31 obtained 21,030 validated signatures and 28,449 extra signatures to be reviewed by 5 p.m. Wednesday, nicely shy of the 134,298 signatures from registered voters wanted to ship any invoice to a future poll. One other 2,117 signatures have been rejected.
Whereas Wednesday was the deadline for signatures, county clerks had till midday Thursday to report all signatures they'd obtained. Had the measure obtained sufficient signatures, there can be a three-week course of to authenticate the numbers of registered voters and different necessities have been met, reminiscent of a sure proportion of voters from totally different counties.
A bunch of residents referred to as Referendum to Save Utah's Flag filed the paperwork to carry a referendum on SB31 in March, days after the Utah Legislature narrowly handed the invoice. If it was profitable, voters would have determined the destiny of SB31, which designates a brand new state flag and designates the present flag because the state's "historic flag."
The replace comes a couple of week after a Deseret Information/Hinckley Institute of Politics ballot discovered that about 48% of Utahns stated they both strongly supported or considerably supported the brand new flag design, in comparison with 35% who strongly or considerably opposed it.
Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who sponsored SB31 and championed the trouble for a brand new state flag, instructed Deseret Information he was thrilled with these polling numbers.
"Flags are vital, and folks do not realize how vital they're when their flag is not one which they put on on a T-shirt or fly at their house," he stated final week. "I am seeing it as I drive down the street. There are already shops popping up with folks promoting issues which have the brand new state emblem on it."
Regardless of the referendum failing, some adjustments to SB31 are nonetheless anticipated earlier than the invoice goes into impact on March 9, 2024.
Whereas the group continued to gather signatures on the referendum, Cox formally signed the invoice and issued an govt order calling for the historic flag to be flown on the state Capitol always and in any respect state buildings throughout all state holidays and any "particular events."
He additionally referred to as on the Utah Legislature to amend state legislation in order that the historic flag flies over the brand new design in instances when each flags are flying on the identical pole. That change is anticipated to be made earlier than the flag flies for the primary time.
The flag design was solely tweaked as soon as throughout the legislative session after it was first chosen by Utah leaders in November. McCay launched a design that turned the eight-sided star right into a five-sided one earlier than it was accredited by the Utah Senate in January.
The design was chosen after the Utah State Flag Process Power narrowed the sphere of 5,703 submissions collected in 2022. Utah leaders honored 70 folks earlier this yr who helped encourage the design.